Now, Rs 500 fine for open defecation in urban areas

The Maharashtra government has finalised the ‘spot fine’ rates for open defecation, littering, spitting and urinating in public places. According to the new rate, the spot fine for defecation in the open has been fixed at Rs 500. The BMC currently levies a fine of Rs 100 for the offence, a rate that was decided by it in 2006.

According to a Government Resolution (GR) issued on Saturday, new spot fine rates are defined under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.

The state government has fixed new rates for all four types of municipal corporations in the state. Open defecation will invite a fine of Rs 500 for all municipal corporations. For littering at public places, a fine of Rs 180 will be applicable for A & B class municipal corporations. In Mumbai, the current charge for littering fixed by the BMC stands Rs 200.

For spitting in public place, the new state fine is Rs 150. The Mumbai civic body currently charges Rs 200 for this offence. For urinating in public places, the BMC currently charges Rs 200. The government has kept this rate unchanged in the new GR.

The Mumbai civic body collects more than Rs 5 crore every year in fines from those who are caught for these offences. The local authorities in the state are often blamed for harassing and publicly humiliating people caught defecating in the open.

Mumtaz Shaikh, a Right to Pee movement activist, slammed the government for hiking the open defecation fine. “State government wants to showcase how active it is and how bad the citizens have become by declaring the amount of fine collected by it in the year. But why can’t the government check the ground reality first before increasing the fine for open defecation? Are there clean and usable public toilets in the city as per the need? The scarcity of the clean usable public toilets in the city is the main reason for people to go in for open defecation. If there are no public toilets, what would they do? How are they going to pay this fine? In case they are not able to pay THE fine, what will the government do to them?” ask furious Mumtaz.

Ramdas Danwale, 29, a resident of Bhiwandi, in his letter to CM Devendra Fadnavis urged him to start a monthly pass scheme for people who regularly use public toilets. “We don’t have many public toilets to go to and we can’t pay such a steep fine,” he said.